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Debussy, Dubois, Rohozinski: The Naiades Ensemble: Helen Manente (flute), Nadya Larsen (viola), Paula Popa (harp). St George’s Church, Bloomsbury, London 25.7.2008 (CR)


This concert, held  in memory of Mr and Mrs Thomas Connell and Dr and Mrs Eldredge Carroll, at St George’s Church, Bloomsbury, was a highly polished performance by the Naiades Ensemble, a professional flute, viola and harp trio which was formed in 2006. The playing was excellent from the outset, and remained continually impressive through the varied programme, which included a selection of new works alongside Debussy’s much loved Sonata. One slight niggle – the printed programmes did not contain a list of works and movements, and the spoken introductions were sometimes hard to hear in the church’s highly resonant acoustic, so the audience were, at times, unclear about what it was they were hearing.  This was just a small consideration, however, which did not get in the way of an otherwise excellent evening of music.

The concert began with Rohozinski’s six movement Suite Breve, an internationally influenced work which reflects the composer’s multinational roots (he was born in France and raised in Russia). The ensemble paid close attention to the details in the score, with sensitive dynamics and a good balance between the players. Larsen’s viola sound is rich and vibrant and was matched well by Manente’s beautifully phrased flute playing.  Paula Popa, the group’s harpist, played a well-judged pivotal role in linking the two single line instruments and gave a delicate colour to the solo lines. In this piece, the tempo changes were handled well, with good contrasts between the sweeping melodies and the more agitato sections.

The first of three new works in this programme, Andrew Struck-Marcell’s A Lily of a Day was composed for the ensemble at the Royal College of Music in 2007. Written in a tonal language, the music featured harmonics and angular melodies in both the flute and viola, over an accompanying harp part.  The playing was rhythmic and made the most of the musical material.

Next was the European Premiere of Robert Paterson’s Embracing the Wind, an altogether more convincing work by a New York based composer, who found this ensemble through a Wikipedia entry. Inspired by an Olympic athlete running against the wind, the piece is an abstraction of that image, and is described as minimalist romantic, making use of repeated cells and musical fragments in an expressive way. The piece had a dramatic opening, and was performed with precise, even technical control from all of the players. An extended viola solo was played with energy and conviction, and the composer made excellent use of the rich sonorities of the alto flute to good effect. Again composed in an essentially tonal idiom, this work presented opportunities for all of the players to shine, with some impressive harp playing matched by a wonderful bisbigliando effect in the flute, which was played with absolute precision.

Equally well performed was Dubois’s Terzetto, a single movement romantic work composed in Paris in the early twentieth century.  Semiquavers in the harp provided a gentle accompaniment to the interplay between flute and viola, and the piece received a warm reception from the audience.

The third and final new work was Anthony Sidney’s Five White Moons in Black, composed in 2007 in response to Debussy’s Sonata. With more simplified harmonies than Debussy’s, this was a well constructed piece which featured expansive melodies and folksong-like themes. An accessible work, it uses the instruments well and is enjoyable to listen to. It is works such as this that will introduce audiences to contemporary music and perhaps encourage them to explore further.

For me, the highlight of the concert was the Debussy Sonate, composed in 1916 and perhaps the most well known work for this combination of instruments. This tour de force is a true test piece for the ensemble, as a result of it being performed and recorded so frequently by some of the world’s best players. Surprisingly, perhaps, Debussy’s musical language was the most complex (and indeed, most ‘contemporary’ sounding) of all the works on the programme, demonstrating that many of today’s living composers have shunned the ‘squeaky gate’ style that gave new music such a bad name. The ensemble rose to Debussy’s challenge extremely well, and this was a relaxed and enjoyable performance, which was intelligently interpreted and allowed the personalities of the performers to come through the music.

This was a well conceived programme, with a good combination of the new and the tried and tested. Although the new works were not particularly challenging in the ‘contemporary’ sense, they make a useful and interesting addition to the repertoire and the Naiades Ensemble’s work in this respect is to be applauded. The ensemble is an exciting chamber music group, which has the potential to reach very high standards indeed. Formed of three musicians who combine a clear passion for their chosen repertoire with highly polished artistry, this is a group to look out for.

Carla Rees


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